


Christmas Wish

by alliehamilt0n



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Christmas, M/M, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 05:12:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/606177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alliehamilt0n/pseuds/alliehamilt0n
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 times Stiles and Derek don't celebrate a traditional Christmas + the one time they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, you know when you get to the point where every song you hear it's like 'That's my OTP' and you can't even stop. This is kind of what happened here as I was listening to Christmas songs on repeat. 
> 
> anyway this isn't beta'd and i'm really sorry for any mistakes spelling wise or grammatical or just...in general. anyway. enjoy. merry christmas.

**ONE.**

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_  
let your heart be light   
from now on our   
troubles will be out of sight 

When Stiles had been little each and every holiday had been special. Whether it had been Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. Every time the Stilinski family had come close to another major holiday they had done every thing in their power to make sure they decorated well in advance and that everything was ready for it. Stiles himself was especially fond of Christmas, and he had loved the magical aspect to it. While other kids grew up and thought that some old, bearded man coming down their chimney was creepy, Stiles thought of Santa as some sort of second father figure.

Now though, years later, and Christmas was just another day, just like any other. His father worked the double shift, getting paid more for working during the holidays, and had done so for the last few years. If it weren't for the constant reminders, the red cups at Starbucks and everyone wishing everyone a Merry Christmas wherever he went, he wouldn't even have remembered it. 

Christmas was no longer special. It held nothing magical about it anymore. 

Stiles had been twelve when his mother fell ill. He had been twelve when he asked Santa to make his mother better and he had been twelve when Christmas came and went and when the decorations came down everywhere in people's houses and from the shops, Stiles and the sheriff took down their decorations at home and put them into storage, along with his mothers things. 

Now, five years later, Stiles found himself alone once again on Christmas Eve. His back was aching from falling over his own two feet only three days ago, after having chased down again the current monster of the week, and his dad wasn't going to come home until the next morning. 

Despite his indifference to Christmas, Stiles had sorted himself out early enough, getting everyone their Christmas presents. Something for Scott, Allison, Lydia and even Jackson. Along with the betas and their fearless Alpha. Presents had been exchanged and without admitting it to everyone Stiles had opened his already a couple of days ago, feeling that it was just a little bit too sad to open them all by himself on Christmas day. Why keep them, if no one was there to see him unwrap them. 

Scott had, as always, asked him whether he wanted to spend Christmas with him and his mother, knowing fully well that Stiles was going to smile and decline. Just like he had the year before, and the year before that. And so on. 

Allison and her family had gone on holiday, as had Lydia and Jackson. Erica was spending Christmas with Boyd and Isaac was actually going to spend it at Scotts. 

Days like these, where the Sheriff was on a double shift, were Stiles's only time to eat whatever he wanted without feeling guilty, knowing he didn't have to eat it in front of his father. The best part was that for once he really didn't need to bother with any kind of vegetable. 

Planting himself in front of the TV with his pizza, with extra cheese in the crust, he flicked through the channels. Everything was full of Yuletide joy and Stiles sighed, pressing his thumb down on the remote again and again. Finally he stopped flicking and settled back into the cushions. 

Ah. Die Hard. The perfect Christmas movie. Just enough Christmas to make it festive, and enough violence to remind Stiles that this was just a day like any other. Curled up in sweatpants and a hoodie he munched on slice after slice, feeling slightly sick after he had finished off the whole pizza, knowing full well he was going to head into the kitchen in about an hour to find even more food. 

Padding into the kitchen he got more junk food, spreading it out around himself. He hadn’t even been half way into the movie when he felt himself get heavier, full of food and warm and feeling safe for once, hoping that even every supernatural creature there was, would at least respect Christmas as a day off. Drifting off into a deep sleep, Stiles settled into the sofa cushions, sleeping soundly for once. 

The next morning he woke up, a crick in his neck and a huge pizza stain on his hoodie. Huh. He hadn’t realised he had eaten that messily. 

The door opened and his dad entered the living room, giving him a tired smile. 

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Hey dad. Just got home from work?” Stiles asked, sitting up and stretching, arching his back and trying to get rid of the feeling like he just wanted to sleep for another hundred years. 

“Mhm. About to go to bed. Then I have to work tonight again. Why don’t you go to Scotts? I’d feel better knowing you weren’t here all alone on Christmas.” his dad, concern playing on his face. Things had been tough the last couple of months, with all the supernatural stuff causing a rift between Stiles and his dad.

Giving a shrug he nodded, even though he knew he wasn’t going to go to Scotts after all. “Sure. I’ll give him a call in a bit.” knowing that he wouldn’t. He promised his dad every year he was going to give Scott a call, sometimes even sneak out of the house and return when his dad had left for work. 

“Good. I’m glad. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun.” the sheriff told him, heading up the stairs, his steps heavy as he made his way towards his bedroom. 

With a sigh Stiles got himself off of the sofa, cleaning up the mess he had made last night and getting ready to get on with his own little Christmas traditions. 

Within the space of an hour he had taken a shower, dressed himself and made some food for his dad to take with when he was going to work later, leaving a note on the kitchen table and pulling the front door behind him as he left. 

Most shops were closed, as were most restaurants, except for a couple of diners. Driving to his favourite, Stiles sat down at one of the tables, smiling at the elderly waitress who came over immediately with a hot cup of chocolate. 

“Hello sweetie. Merry Christmas.” she said as she sat down the cup in front of him, getting a smile in return. 

“Merry Christmas, Judy.” Stiles smiled, picking up the menu, even though he knew what he was going to eat. 

“Give me a shout when you’re done.” Judy told him, giving him the same look she gave him every year, and earning herself a ‘Will do.’ just as she did every year. 

Judy, to Stiles, was a constant. He saw her throughout the whole year, but it was only Christmas time when they had the same exchange, over and over again. Every Christmas Stiles would come in, and she’d bring him a hot chocolate, and he’d continue to order the same food, and at the end have a slice of hot apple pie. 

The diner was mostly empty, except for people who couldn’t manage to even heat up a ready meal, or simply didn’t celebrate Christmas. 

Stiles ate his meal in silence, watching people busting outside the window, some of them still trying to find anything last minute, knowing that the shops were closed, but maybe they’d find something they could buy somewhere else, like a gas station. 

Just like every year, Stiles stood up quietly, noticing Judy look over at him, and he left the diner, leaving not only enough money to cover his bill, but also a more than generous tip for Judy. 

* 

It was starting to get dark when Stiles finally reached the cemetery. The car park was mainly empty, most people having visited their loved ones during the day, when it was still light out. 

Stiles cut through the rows of graves, heading towards his mothers’ and stopped right in front of it. 

“Hey mom.” he said quietly “Merry Christmas.” 

Sitting down on a bench not too far from the grave he sat there, starring at the grave stone, despite the fact that with every passing minute it became darker around him, and the cemetery was empty, except for him. And the dead, Stiles thought, shuddering slightly. 

“Stiles?” someone asked, pulling Stiles deep out of his thoughts and making him jump slightly. 

“Oh. Hey.” Stiles said, looking up at Derek. 

“What are you doing here? It’s freezing.” Derek frowned. 

“Is it? I hadn’t noticed. Come, sit down.” Stiles scooted over and patted the empty seat next to him. Noticing Derek hesitate he patted the seat again, slightly more forceful. 

“C’mon. I’m not getting any younger. Neither are you.” 

With a huff Derek sank down onto the seat next to him, his body warmth radiating off him. 

“I thought you’d be home celebrating Christmas.” Derek said quietly, after sitting in silence for a while. 

“No. I haven’t done in a while. What about you?” Stiles asked. 

“The betas are all with family. Not quite sure where Peter is. The others are...” Derek drifted off.   
“Here. The others are here.” Stiles finished, looking over at his mothers grave, and nodded. 

“Yeah. The others are here. Sort of.” 

They fell into silence again, until Stiles couldn’t feel his fingers anymore and finally got up, shaking out his legs. 

“I’ll see you around, yeah?” Stiles said, looking at Derek, who simply nodded. 

“Merry Christmas, Derek.” 

“Merry Christmas, Stiles.” 

 

**TWO.**

  
_I could have been someone_  
Well so could anyone   
You took my dreams from me  
when I first found you   
I kept them with me babe   
I put them with my own  
Can’t make it out alone  
I’ve built my dreams around you. 

“I really kind of hate you” Stiles panted, tripping over a tree root and scrambling up to keep running.

“Right. Keep going.” Derek replied, his face set into a deep frown and grabbing Stiles’s sleeve and pulling him forward. 

They had been running for what seemed like ages, even though it couldn’t have been more than five minutes, but running on an even road itself was hard enough, adding the woods to running as well as the cold and the dark made it impossible for Stiles to keep in an upright position. 

“I’ve got things to do! Places to be. Have you ever thought of that?” Stiles asked as he was being dragged, about a half step behind Derek, but only because Derek was still holding onto him. 

“I’m sure the people at the cemetery will understand if you don’t show up this Christmas” Derek said, and even though Stiles couldn’t see his face he was pretty sure he that Derek rolled his eyes at him, despite the fact that they were outrunning whatever had showed up at the Hale house not too long ago. 

“Judy is going to think I have died. Actually scratch that, I will probably die tonight.” Stiles said, tripping again, quickly regaining his balance just to all of a sudden slide down into a hole. 

“What the--” he shouted out, landing on a heap on top of Derek. 

“Was that planned?” Stiles asked, looking up and trying to make out the exit. It felt like they had fell down a rabbit hole. Except it was way too big to be a rabbit hole. 

“No. Shh.” Derek told him, and even though he could hardly make out his face, Stiles knew that Derek was frowning once again. 

“Derek we need to-” Stiles started, the rest of his sentenced muffled by Derek’s hand clamped over his mouth. They stayed that way for a while, until Derek slowly lower his hand. 

“I think it’s gone.” Derek whispered and looked up trying to make something out, but not being able to see anything other than tree tops. 

“What was it?” Stiles asked, still having no idea what they were actually running away from. 

“No idea. Couldn’t make out the scent. Only that it wasn’t friendly.” 

Stiles let out a slight snort. They never were friendly. None of them ever came in peace. Stiles was starting to think it was a reoccurring theme for them. In the past year things had changed drastically and while they had managed to pull together as a pack, it still didn’t mean that any of them had a peaceful life. 

The alpha pack had come and gone, only making sure that Derek was going to do a well enough job. Stiles had made a joke that they were like the Volturi of the werewolf world, and earned himself many disapproving looks from everyone. Whatever, at least he knew everyone of them even knew what the Volturi were, even if they didn’t want to admit it. 

Things had shifted around Beacon Hills though, and Jackson had managed to finally accept Derek as his alpha, while Erica and Boyd had returned and even Scott was finally starting to trust Derek. Danny had finally been involved into the whole pack business, and proved himself more than useful. 

Derek himself had calmed down. A lot. After a lot of trial and error they had finally managed to click. Not that there weren’t arguments at least once a day, but they were no longer so serious that Stiles thought it could shatter everything and break up the pack. 

Sighing slightly Stiles looked into Derek’s direction. 

“Now what?” he asked unsure what to do and how to get out of this whole. There was no way he could just simply jump out of it the way Derek might be able to. 

“We wait.” 

“In silence?” Stiles asked, as if the very thought appalled him. 

“In silence.” Derek replied. 

“Derek?” 

“Mm?” 

“Is Santa real?” Stiles asked out of the blue, earning himself a snort. 

“You still believe in Santa?” Derek asked him, his voice laced with amusement. 

“No. But then again I didn’t believe in werewolves and kanimas and all the other things we’ve been fighting. Humor me.” 

There was a pause and then Derek sighed. “No. He’s not real. As far as I know.” 

“So technically he could be real, because no offense but you don’t really know a lot.” 

“Harsh. I went to college. I know a fair bit.” Derek replied. 

“Really? I never knew. How come you thought a snake couldn’t be affected by it’s own poison then? Cause that was bullshit.” Stiles told him, trying to make out shapes in the dark. 

“I didn’t study zoology.” It came out in a slight huff, as if Derek didn’t like to remember the mistakes he had made in the past. 

“What did you study?” Stiles asked with curiosity. He had gotten to know a fair few sides of Derek in the past year, getting the alpha to open up to him, as well as the rest of the pack, but there were still things that Stiles didn’t know about Derek. Mainly things about the past that hit too close to home or were too related to his family. 

“Business. I always thought I was going to join some big firm in Manhattan, you know?” Derek told him, his voice sounding almost distant, like he was in a different world. 

“Trade in the leather jacket for a suit? I can’t really see it.” Stiles mused as he tried to imagine Derek in the city, running around and making important phone calls. “Why didn’t you?” 

“I don’t know. Laura died and I came back here and I just ... things got kind of out of hand, you know? I could have been an omega in the city. Places like New York City don’t really care whether you’ve got a pack or not. It’s safe ground for omegas.” 

Stiles nodded into the dark. “I guess. But I mean you could still leave, right? Go back to Manhattan and fulfil your dream?” he asked pulling his jacket closer over himself, feeling Derek next to him. 

“Nah. I’ve got other dreams now. It just wouldn’t fit into my life anymore. It seems like a different world.” 

Stiles let out a slight laugh. He knew the feeling. Of the past seeming like a whole different life. Or something he had seen on TV. Sometimes he felt more than a little disconnected. 

“Yeah. I get it.” Stiles sighed “Scott better be on his way. It’s getting cold.” 

Without a moments hesitation, Derek shifted closer. Leaning into Stiles and sharing his body heat. 

“Hey, Derek? Merry Christmas.” Stiles muttered after a while, starting to fall asleep against him. 

“Merry Christmas, Stiles.” 

 

**THREE.**

_I wrapped it up and sent it_  
with a note saying ‘I love you’  
I meant it.  
Now I know what a fool I’ve been   
but if you kissed me now I know you’d fool me again. 

College was awesome. It was everything Stiles had imagined it would be and more. He hadn’t gone far from Beacon Hills, only to Berkley. He was still in state, but far enough away to not be constantly reminded of everything supernatural. For Stiles it was perfect. It was like a breath of air.

Not that he didn’t miss it. He spend most evenings Skyping with Scott, who had stayed in Beacon Hills and was studying to become a vet. 

His computer beeped from the other side of the room and Stiles hurried over to it quickly, pressing ‘answer’ while he was still standing. 

“Hey dad!” Stiles said, continuing to move around his room in a hurry. The semester had been over for two days and Stiles still had tons of things to pack before he could make his way back home. 

“Hey, kiddo.” the sheriff replied, leaning forward and squinting. “Are you still not done packing?” 

“Almost. Almost.” Stiles laughed and threw a few more things into his bag. “How are things at home?” 

“Same as always. The Argents have moved away and Scott is thinking of just following Allison like a love sick puppy. Derek won’t leave the house, but at least he stocks it up with good food.” his dad told him, slightly gleeful at the fact that he was allowed to eat whatever he liked as long as Stiles was away. It was almost like their roles were reversed. 

Last spring they had finally told the sheriff everything. Well almost everything, they had edited a bit, but they had told him enough that Stiles no longer felt like he had to lie about everything that was happening. 

It had made things easier, and the sheriff had started trusting Derek, even though he couldn’t stand Peter, which Stiles thought was a wise choice. 

Up until that moment Stiles had thought that his father knowing about everything supernatural was going to make his job more difficult, instead it had made it easier. Every time something happened in Beacon Hills, where he suspected it had anything to do with Derek’s world, he made sure he was able to cover it up in the most convincing way. 

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t Derek have his own place now? Where he can eat as much junk food as he likes without ruining my fathers health?” 

It had been two summers ago when Derek had decided to restore the house, and another year until he had decided to just rip everything down and start fresh. The house in itself was magnificent and when Stiles saw it for the first time he couldn’t help but smile. 

‘It’s like you’re trying to turn your life into the Notebook and now that you’ve got the house you’re going to get the girl.’ Stiles had said and elbowed Derek into the side, who had simply shoved him away, but not hard enough to really hurt Stiles. 

“Yes Derek has his own place, but I guess he just misses you.” his dad replied, pulling Stiles out of his thought process. 

Stiles’s cheeks heated up and he coughed, slightly embarrassed. College had changed a lot, and with that Stiles’s confidence that he was definitely not just interested in strawberry blonde girls who were never going to fall for him in a million years. 

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’ll start driving in about half an hour. I’ll see you later tonight.” Stiles said, ending the call and continuing to throw things into his bags. 

*   
The drive to Beacon Hills was just long enough for Stiles to get bored half way through it, but not too long that he arrived and had to lie down for a nap. The second he stepped through the front doors of his house he was greeted by the smell of food, the sound of the TV on and talking in the kitchen. 

Walking further into the house and Stiles realised that something was definitely different. It wasn’t just the smell of food, nor the fact that it smelled like proper food instead of take away, but also ... the house was decorated. 

His brow furrowed as he took everything in and stepped through into the kitchen. His dad and Derek were standing there, huddled over a book on the kitchen counter, several bowls surrounding them. 

“Uh...guys?” Stiles said after neither of them looked up. 

“Stiles!” his dad exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling him into a hug. Stiles took a look around, getting a terse nod from Derek who was still standing at the counter and turned back to the book in full concentration. 

“What’s going on here?” Stiles said as he pulled away and looked around. “Is that.... is that a turkey? As in a whole turkey?” Stiles asked and walked over, poking the bird and looking back up at his dad. 

“Yes. It’s a turkey. Otherwise known as the traditional Christmas bird.” his dad replied, stepping back to a bowl and continuing to stir whatever was inside it. 

“Okay. Okay. Don’t get me wrong but why is there a turkey in our kitchen along with what looks like a full grown Christmas dinner and ohmygod is that stuffing? Is that homemade stuffing?” Stiles said and looked into yet another bowl, lifting it up and sniffing at it. 

“It’s Christmas.” Derek said, his first words directed at Stiles since he had entered the house. 

“Yeah I get that but it’s not like we really celebrate Christmas, right?” 

“We are this year. Go unpack. Dinner will be ready in an hour.” 

With a nod Stiles turned around, walking slowly up the stairs and taking everything in. There were decorations his mother had picked out that he hadn’t seen in years. Carefully he touched an ornament, brushing his finger tip over it, as if it might break at any moments notice. 

Walking up to his room he put his things away, as well as he could, trying to sort his clothes into things that were going to be acceptable to wear and clothes he would have to wash and just didn’t wash because he had run out of change at college. 

Half an hour later Derek appeared at his room, knocking slightly at the frame. “Your dad had to leave. The station called and he had to go. He says he’s sorry.” Derek told him. 

Stiles looked up, his throat getting kind of dry but he nodded anyway. He didn’t know why he was upset. Maybe he had gotten his hopes up a bit in the last half hour, but he was used to not celebrating Christmas, so why would anything be different now. 

“That’s fine.” Stiles said, his voice breaking slightly on ‘fine.’ 

Derek frowned moving forward and sat down on Stiles’s bed, their thighs pressed against each other. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern displayed on his face. 

“Nothing. It’s fine. It’s nothing. Let’s just go downstairs and have dinner.” Stiles said, about to get up, before Derek grabbed his wrist. 

“Dinner’s not quite ready. Come sit down. Talk to me. Let’s have our Christmas heart to heart.” Derek said, earning himself a little smile from Stiles. 

“I guess we have our very own Christmas tradition. If we celebrated Christmas.” 

“Yeah. If we celebrated Christmas.” Derek said, shooting him a crooked smile. 

“Oh hey! I got you something.” Stiles said, getting up and walking over to his desk, getting a big box and handing it to Derek. With a frown Derek lifted the lid and looked inside. 

“An American Werewolf in London....The Howling...Silver Bullet ...I...is this every werewolf film ever made?” Derek asked looking at Stiles as if he couldn’t quite believe someone would go through all the effort to find all of them. 

“Pretty much. I expect you to watch each and everyone of them. Maybe with the pack. And make fun of everything they get wrong.” Stiles said with a grin. 

Derek laughed, a genuine laugh that Stiles had come to laugh. A laugh that had been rare but became more frequent the longer he knew Derek. 

“This is amazing. God, I love you.” Derek said, grinning back at Stiles, until he froze, realising what he just said. 

“What?” Stiles said, his heart about to beat out of his chest, as he sat there starring back at Derek. 

“Nothing. I said it’s amazing. And then I just stopped talking.” Derek said, his eyes wide as he looked back at Stiles. 

“Derek I- I...I’m sorry. There’s someone else. At college. I didn’t know that...” 

“It’s fine!” Derek interupeted him, plastering a smile on his face and shook his head with a small laugh as if everything about this was ridiculous. And Stiles would have believed him, hadn’t it been for the fact that Derek’s voice caught slightly on the ‘fine’ the same way Stiles’s had earlier. 

Before either one of them could say anything else the fire alarm went off, the burning smell all of a sudden becoming much more apparent. 

Both of them ran downstairs, Derek hurrying forward the oven and turning it off in a hurry, pulling open the door and coughing slightly as smoke billowed out. 

Pulling out the turkey he noted that it hadn’t quite caught on fire, but was now so black that it couldn’t possibly be eaten. 

“Guess Judy is in luck and you’ll get to meet her this year.” Stiles said. 

“Guess so.” Derek replied. 

“Hey, Derek?” Stiles said. 

“Merry Christmas?” Derek guessed, looking over his shoulder and getting a small smile in return. 

“Yeah. Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Stiles.” 

 

**FOUR.**

_They’re singing ‘Deck the Halls’_  
but it’s not like Christmas at all  
cause I remember when you were here   
and all the fun we had last year. 

It was hard to believe that a year had passed since Stiles had last seen Derek. They had gone to the diner, and Stiles had introduced Derek to Judy, who had smiled so big, like she couldn’t believe that Stiles was spending a Christmas not totally alone.

Not that Stiles had really spend the two previous Christmas’s all alone either. Derek had been there for both of them. 

This year however he wasn’t planning on going home for the holidays. His dad was driving up to come see him and Stiles had been actively avoiding Beacon Hills. 

Ever since Derek had told Stiles that he loved him things had been stilted. They still talked, now and again but it was awkward. Stiles was no longer seeing anyone, but he didn’t know how to bring it up. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t have feelings for Derek, but they had known each other so long that it seemed like taking their relationship any further could ruin everything.   
Beacon Hills had been quiet for the last year, everything had settled and everyones life had gone back to normal. 

The pack had grown together as a family and Stiles was happy for them, knowing that he was still part of the pack, even though he wasn’t always around. Most of them were scattered around the country anyway, but they all made time to keep in touch, letting each other know what they were doing. 

It was Christmas and Stiles found himself alone in his apartment, which he shared with a roommate but who had gone home for the holidays. 

He felt like he had gone back to where he had been a couple of years ago, except all of a sudden he felt more alone than he had ever before. 

Padding into the kitchen he opened and closed the fridge several times, not quite knowing what he was looking for. 

With a sigh he fished out his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. 

Hesitating only for a second he pressed call, and waited until he heard someone pick up. 

“Stiles?” he heard Derek’s voice, confusion apparent even through the phone. 

It had been a while since they had last talked, and more often than not it hadn’t been just to keep up. Derek mostly called Stiles when he ran out of options and needed an extra pair of hands to do some research. 

“What’s wrong, are you hurt?” 

Stiles rolled his eyes at that, even though it wasn’t unlikely that he could have been hurt. 

“No. Not hurt. Just wanted to check in. See how you’re doing.” Stiles said, playing with the hemline of his sweater, noticing it was fraying at the edges a bit. 

“Oh.” Derek said simply, pausing for a moment. “Fine. I’m doing fine. How are you?” 

“I’m ...” Stiles thought about it. He was about to say he was fine, even though he wasn’t quite sure. “I miss you.” he said instead. 

He heard a sigh at the other end of the line and then some shuffling. “Hang on.” Stiles heard Derek say, but it was so distant he thought that Derek had turned away from the phone and told someone else to hang on. 

He waited a moment longer, before he heard Derek sigh again and the sound of a door closing behind him. 

“Derek?” Stiles asked, unsure of what was going on. 

“Why are you really calling, Stiles?” Derek asked him, making Stiles wince. 

“I told you. I miss you. I kind of figured....I don’t know. I guess I hoped you missed me too. And wanted to talk to me. Like we do every Christmas, remember?”   
“We don’t celebrate Christmas, Stiles.” Derek told him. 

“I know that, I know...I just...it’s kind of sad, isn’t it? How lonely we get during Christmas. I mean before everything happened, with Scott getting bitten and the pack coming together ...” Stiles broke off “I just felt a little less lonely when I was lonely together with you. We were lonely together.” 

“Doesn’t really sound like a good enough reason for a friendship, Stiles.” Derek replied. 

Stiles frowned, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs. It was starting to weird him out the way Derek kept saying his name, at the end of every sentence, as if he needed to remind himself who he was talking to. 

“Maybe. I don’t know. But ... what about last year? What you said? We never talked about it. Maybe we shoul-” 

“I’m with someone, Stiles.” Derek interrupted him. 

“Oh. Oh, okay. Guess that serves me right. I shouldn’t have waited that long. I’m not really... Are you with them right now?” Stiles asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay. Well...I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing.” 

“Alright. Merry Christmas, Stiles.”

Swallowing hard he tried to keep his voice even as he said “Merry Christmas, Derek.” despite the fact that the line was already dead. 

 

**FIVE.**

  
_I just want you for my own_  
more than you could ever know   
make my wish come true   
all I want for Christmas is you 

Two years later and Stiles found himself back in Beacon Hills, a college degree in hand and no idea what he was going to do with it. It was more than a little weird being back.

Even though he had come more frequently, making long weekend trips down to Beacon Hills or just spending his breaks here, it felt different having to move back into his old room at his dads. 

Without a job he couldn’t afford his own apartment and he felt like he had no idea what he was going to do with his life. At all. 

Seeing the pack had been nerve wrecking at first. All of them had fallen into a routine and Stiles had been unsure where he fit in. At any given moment he had felt like he was in the way, or as if he was doing something that wasn’t quite wrong, but also not entirely right either. 

Things with Derek had been awkward at first. Not once had Stiles met whoever Derek had been dating at the time of their Christmas call, but now that Stiles was back he never saw Derek with anyone. 

At the same time Stiles didn’t really feel like dating anyone else. 

The more time he spend with Derek, the more he wanted to be with him. Every little thing Derek did was something that Stiles felt he needed to commit to memory. Every little joke he cracked was ten times more funny because Derek told it. Every little movement Derek did was important, because Stiles wanted not to be in his way, and instead move with him and mold into him, as if he could prove how in sync they were and how perfect they were for one another. 

The harder Stiles tried to make himself a place in Derek’s life though, the more he felt like he was pushing out of it. 

More than once he had asked the others what Derek was doing. Was he seeing anyone, or was there anyone he liked? The thought that Derek had moved on drove him absolutely crazy. 

“Why don’t you just ask him out?” Isaac had asked him on more than one occasion, getting a scoff in return. 

Stiles knew that asking Derek to go out with him was out of the question, but part of him knew that he was going to be six feet under before Derek was going to put himself out there. 

Browsing through the mall he tried to get the last few things together for Christmas, apparently getting his first Christmas in years, now that he had agreed to actually spend it with Scott, his mother and the rest of the pack. 

‘Please note that all shops will be closing in 20 minutes. Please make your way out. Merry Christmas’ a voice said over the intercom. 

Stiles was pretty sure that he had everything he needed and made his way over to the Starbucks, where it’s staff were just about to close. 

“Hey. Toffee Nut Latte, please.” Stiles said, fumbling for his money and dropping some of it. When he bend down to get it he got some pressed into his hand. Looking up he looked at the malls Santa Claus. 

“Oh, hey. Thanks.” Stiles said, grinning at the man in front of him. “Just getting off of your shift now? At least you’ll be done for the year, right?” Stiles said with a slight laugh. 

The man smiled at him kindly and shook his head “Oh, no. My night is only just beginning. I’ve got to get the presents to everyone.” he replied. 

Stiles laughed genuinely and nodded. “Right. Gotcha. It being Christmas Eve and all.” 

“Indeed. What’s your Christmas wish?” Santa asked him, leaning over the counter and ordering a hot chocolate. 

“Uh...I don’t know. I guess... for the guy I love to be in love with me as well? And to be with me? Not something you can really wrap up nicely and put a bow on.” Stiles said with a slight shrug. 

Picking up his hot chocolate, Santa gave him another smile. “Well don’t despair. You might be witness to a Christmas miracle. Have a Merry Christmas, Stiles” he said, moving away from the Starbucks. 

“How do yo-”   
 “Excuse me? Your coffee is ready.” the girl behind the counter said impatiently, wanting to close up shop. Picking up his coffee he turned around again, finding the malls Santa Claus gone. 

* 

Once he had all his presents loaded into his car he sat down, turning his key in the ignition and...getting nothing. His car stuttered several times, before simply dying. With a frown he kept turning his key, before finally slamming his hands down on the steering feel. 

“Fuck it.” Stiles said, getting out his phone and calling his dad. Five minutes later he found himself sitting in his car, getting colder by the minute. 

Once again his dad was working a double shift, leaving him stranded outside of the mall. Each and every towing service was closed by now and most people were either not anywhere near Beacon Hills, or just didn’t pick up their phone. Mainly Scott. 

Another hour later, he saw headlights pull up next to his car, almost blinding him. Squinting his eyes he saw Derek’s car pulled up next to his, and Derek sitting inside, impatiently honking his horn. With a huff Stiles got out of his car, grabbing his things and moving over towards Derek’s car. 

“Thanks. No one else was available to pick me up.” Stiles said, finally feeling himself come back to life now that he was in a warm car. 

“That’s alright.” Derek said, pulling out of the car park and driving back towards Beacon Hills. 

Twenty minutes later and an awkward and silent car ride later, Stiles found himself outside of his house. 

“Do you want to come in?” Stiles asked and looked at Derek. 

“No that’s alright.” Derek replied, starring straight ahead. 

With a sigh Stiles leaned over, invading Derek’s space and pulled out his car keys, pocketing them. 

“Come inside.” he said, before pushing the door open and grabbing his bags, walking towards the front door and waiting for Derek to follow him. 

“Stiles. C’mon. I need to get home.” 

“To what? There’s no one there. Come inside. I want to talk to you.” 

“About what?” Derek said, following him into the kitchen and watching Stiles as he dropped his shopping on the kitchen table. 

“About this.” 

Within a couple of steps Stiles closed the distance between them, pushing himself forward and pressing his lips against Derek’s. 

There was a moment where Derek froze, until he finally, finally kissed back. 

When Stiles pulled back, he leaned his forehead against Derek’s. 

“Well said.” Derek muttered, wrapping his arms around Stiles’s waist and pulling him closer, into another kiss, this one not quite as soft as the first one. There was more intention behind it, and almost a need to make sure that this was sticking. 

The two of them stayed that way for a while, softly kissing each other, nipping at each others lips. 

The longer they stood there, the more clothes they were starting to lose on their way to Stiles’s room, and onto his bed. 

Being with Derek was so much better than Stiles could have ever imagined. It wasn’t rushed and it wasn’t forceful, the way he had sometimes imagined when he had still been sixteen. It was perfect. 

A couple of hours later, both of them found themselves wrapped up in each others arms, Derek’s thumb drawing symbols on Stiles’s upper arm. 

“Derek?” Stiles asked into the silence. 

“Mmm?” 

“Pretty sure you were wrong again. I think Santa is real. I think I met him tonight.” Stiles said, earning himself a little laugh, in the sound of a huff. 

“Derek?” Stiles asked again after a couple of minutes, after he turned his head and looked at his alarm clock. “Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Stiles.” 

 

**+ONE**

_I saw Papa kissing Santa Claus_  
Underneath the mistletoe last night  
He didn’t see me creep  
down the stairs to have a peep  
he thought that i was tucked up in my bedroom fast asleep  
Then, I saw Papa tickle Santa Claus  
Underneath his beard so snowy white;   
Oh, what a laugh it would have been   
if daddy could have seen   
Papa kissing Santa Claus last night. 

“Actually I think it’s really adorable.” Stiles laughed under his breath, adjusting the fake beard on Derek’s face. “Also kind of hot. When do you have to return the suit?”

Derek rolled his eyes at him. “I actually bought it. As if I would put on a rental. The smell would knock me out in a second flat.” he replied. 

“Fair enough. So we can keep it. And get it a bit dirty.” 

“You’re ruining Christmas for children all over the world” Derek replied, wrapping his arms around Stiles and pulling him closer. 

“Doubtful. They’d understand completely. They’d want to kiss you as well, if they were married to such a sexy Santa.” Stiles said with a laugh. 

Derek joined in with a chuckle and leaned forward, pressing a kiss against Stiles lips, who twisted away and laughed again. 

“God the beard really tickles. It’s worse than the stubble.” Stiles replied, lifting the beard up and pressing another kiss against Derek’s lips. 

“Get over it.” Derek said and nuzzled his nose into Stiles’s neck. “Are the children in bed?” he murmured into it, getting a nod in return. 

“Yeah. They’re really excited about Christmas. And you want to know a secret?” Stiles asked, pulling away slightly to look at Derek’s face. 

“What’s that?” Derek inquired. 

“So am I. I’m really excited about celebrating Christmas.” 

“Our first Christmas as a married couple.” 

“Merry Christmas, Mr Hale” Stiles whispered. 

“Merry Christmas, Mr Hale” Derek replied, leaning forward again and kissing Stiles.

**Author's Note:**

> The songs:   
> 1) Have yourself a merry little christmas   
> 2)Fairytale of New York   
> 3)Last Christmas   
> 4)Baby please come home   
> 5)All I want for Christmas (is you)  
> 6)I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and have a very merry christmas


End file.
